Illicit Drugs

Drug trafficking is an international problem with growing links to other criminal activities. Canada places a high priority on a co-ordinated international response to aid other countries and meet international standards, and is committed to working multilaterally, regionally and bilaterally on drug issues.

Domestic Initiatives

Our balanced strategy toward illicit drugs addresses supply and demand, as agreed upon by governments around the world at the 2003 United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs. The domestic foundation for Canada's international approach is Canada's Anti Drug Strategy, which confronts substance abuse with balanced prevention, education, treatment and enforcement.

International Initiatives

Canada's commitment to international anti-drug efforts includes many formal agreements, including three United Nations Conventions related to drugs:

• The 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and its 1972 Protocol;
• The 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances;
• The 1988 Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.

Canada also signed the European Anti-Doping Convention in 1996. We have in place fifteen bilateral mutual legal assistance treaties that enable us to lend and obtain mutual assistance for drug offences with other countries. Canada's extradition treaties prevent drug traffickers from using international borders to avoid prosecution.

Multilateral Efforts

The main multilateral groups through which Canada co-operates for international drug control are the:

• United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), We are active in the central policy-making bodies of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ);
• Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD), the drug-fighting body of the Organization of American States.

Canada is a major donor to both the UNODC and CICAD, and chaired CICAD in 2003-2004.

We also participate in several drug-related groups outside of the UN:

• The Dublin Group, a local regional, and global forum that consults on drug issues in more than 40 capitals;
• The Paris Pact, a partnership of countries affected by opium from Afghanistan;
• The Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
• The Caribbean FATF, a FATF sister group that reviews peers, consults and co-ordinates information on money laundering;
• Regional fora such as the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Asia and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in the Caribbean, and
• Several international groups dedicated to anti-doping in sport.

Canada participates in other hemispheric bodies in addition to CICAD. These include the Summit of the Americas process, through which our government has committed to a range of initiatives directed at drug abuse and production. We continue to be active in the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which is involved in regional and specialized groups such as the Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council, that deal with issues such as customs, law enforcement and money-laundering.

Bilateral Efforts

Canada's most significant current engagement is in Afghanistan. The Afghan drug trade is considered one of the greatest obstacles to Afghanistan's security and long-term development. Drug traffickers in Afghanistan contribute to lawlessness, fuel corruption and directly and indirectly support the insurgency.

Canada fully supports the Afghan National Drug Control Strategy, including its four key priorities:

• Disrupting the drugs trade by targeting traffickers and their backers
• Strengthening and diversifying legal rural livelihoods
• Reducing the demand for illicit drugs and treating drug users
• Further developing state institutions that are vital to the delivery of the counter-narcotics strategy

Canada is investing close to $48.5 million in order to support counter-narcotics projects. This funding includes $18.5 million to provide poppy farmers in Kandahar with viable alternatives to poppy cultivation so that they can feed their families without having to turn to illicit cultivation.

Canadian investments are also being used to:

• Develop counter-narcotics law enforcement and judicial capabilities, so that traffickers can be apprehended and brought to justice
• Reduce the smuggling into Afghanistan of chemicals used to produce heroin
• Help improve counter-narcotics cooperation between Afghanistan and its neighbours

Canadian law enforcement and policy agencies maintain close bilateral contacts with their counterparts around the world. This is particularly true with the United States. Cross-border drug trafficking is a key concern for both our countries, and the joint Canadian-American Canada-U.S. Border Drug Threat Assessment (PDF 273 KB) assesses this common threat.

With other countries, Canada lends assistance in drug control and related areas through bilateral programs of the RCMP, Customs Canada, Health Canada, Foreign Affairs Canada, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), and the Department of Justice. This includes bilateral and regional police training and technical assistance to decrease the availability and harm of illicit drugs, through CICAD and the UNODC.

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